Corn picker



Patented Sept. 30, l19.30

comi .Semmai i f H Appiieamn mea member 11e, T1929, seria; ne; 414,251. x

The invention relates to machines for pick-f5 ing the ears from standing corn stalks, and its object is to provide means for maintaining thestalks in approximately upright po-ft". sition until the ears are separated from them,`

thereby preventing the clogging of the ma-y thine and facilitating the picking operation.

The character of the invention is fullyV pointed out in the following specification and the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which anism of a machine of known type but i114 cluding the present improvement; and

Fig. 2 is a detail, side elevation of the'ap-y paratus illustrated in Fig. 1.

The machine to which the present invention is applied comprises a suitable frame indicated at 10 which is carried by wheels onev of which is shown at 11; there Vbeing mount;

ed upon the frame a pair of guide plates 12,"

13 so related as to form a trough-like strucL .g ture 14, their lower margins, however, being `while being of sufficient width to permit the `stalk to pass through it arrests the ear which :is thereb7 Pulled OI Picked from the Stalk as;

g f :The rollers the machine advances. A 4pair of spurred guide chains 15, 16 are mountedV one below each of the plates 12, 13, upon rollers carriedV by the frame and so arranged that one turn of each chain follows the margin ofthe throat 14 into which the spurs carried by the chains project. vThese chains are driven by suitable gearing usually actuated from the wheels as 11, so muchof this mechanism as is necessary for thevpurposes of this demounted on the shaft of one yof the Vrollers or sprockets carrying one of the chains as 15, the shaft 22 on the opposite side of the picker forV actuating the other-chain as'i 16 being driven by ,means of a sprocket chain 23 4mountedvon thewheels carried by the shafts 19yand` 22. {As thus'ifar described, the inachine is ofcommonfconstriiction. l

` Mounted upon the "upperor" outer" margin 'i of each of the plates 12,13 is'a rolleras 24, 25 having" av spiral -rib -v A26 extending from its forward end` and terminating a short distance froni itsrearwar-dend, the ribs of the two roll-fV i. ers being reversely wound. The roller 24 Fig. 1 is a plan view of the picking mechthe`m`achine isxturned in acounterclockwisedirection, viewed from thefront of the maf;-

vchine, and the 'ribs are so disposed that they urge any stalks which may Vengage them backwardly and ,guide them along the throat 14. Upon therearwardY end of eachof these rollers,- ,therelis' mounted a short guide? rib as 27` wound inthe reverse ,direction from the rib The rollers 24,25 may, be mounted upon Aer flits, the Vmetal atfeach'endI of this. recess beingfanged outwardly and'` -fapertured to rece'iveithe'j o'urnals of the rollers. The real.

-24',25-nay be of any suitable material, preferably of wood, the-ribs 26, 27 being formed of metal rods coiled about the with the shaft 1 9 lorp22fgand gearedthereto 26 andthusf arresting the'advane movement of the stalks'along the throat. f 1 i,spaced apartas shown. The` forward lends of these plates flare outwardly andgather: up the standing corn,` which may be and fre:` quently Vis more or less broken down, land@v guide it to the throat 14 between thev platesfi The rearward ends ofV these plates? are upwardly inclined and the throat 14',

wardj ournal is extended asja shaft 28S parallel roller and firmly secured thereto. Obviously y theV ribs may be formed as integral portions Vof the roller orstrips of sheet metal embedded therein. r

In the operation of themachine, the stalks are gathered by the flaring ends of the plates 12, 18, and guided .to the throat 14. There scription being shown and comprising a sprocket wheel 17 driven by a chain 18 and mounted upon a shaft 19. carrying a bevelled, gear 2O meshing with a `similar gear 21 is a tendency of many of the stalks to fall forwardly and this tendency is overcomeby the action of the rollers 24, 25 which first comevinto engagement with the stalks Vnear their butts and they are, therefore, carried along in uprightposition by the joint action of the gathering chains 15, 16 and the ribs 26.

As the stalks encounter the ribs 27, they are arrested just as the picking operation is accomplished.

It will be understood that the movement of the stalk is relative as to the machine. The stalks are not actually carried along the plates 12, 13, but are held in approximately an upright position by the chains 15, 16 and the rollers 25, 26 as the machine advances upon them, the tendency of the machine to beat them down being thus overcome.

Thile rollers are shown as formed to be turned in the direction hereinbeforeA ifdescribed, the ribs may be oppositely Wound about the faces ofthe roller and'th'e latter turned in thecopposite direction from that described.

In its broader aspects, the invention includes any'-means mounted at or adjacent to the upperorv outer margins of the gathering plates orgguidingl the stalks along the throat.

` I claim as my invention:

` `1. vIn a Corn picker, in combination, 'a pair of opposed'laring gathering plates, a spirally ribbed guide roller. mounted along the-outer 1margin of each `plate, and means for turning 'the rollers.

--2. In a corn picker, in combination, a pair 'of flaring, upwardly iinclined gathering lplates spaced apart at ltheiradjacent edges to form a throat,. and movable means at both 4margins lof each plate "or guiding stalks through the throat.

3. In a corn picker, in combination, a pair athering plates, a spiralf ly ribbed guide rollerfmounted along theiout-V er margin of each plate, and means for turny offopposed flaring ing the rollersfin the direction-to advancethe corn stalks along the plates.

4. In a corn picker, in combination, a pair otoppcsed flaring gathering plates, a sp1-l rallyribbed guide Arol-ler mounted alongthe outer margin of each plate, andnneansrffor turning the rollers .in the direction to ad- Vance the -corn st'alksfalongthe plates, -the rib being reversed at therea-rward 'endfpor- "tion of each roller.

In testimony whereof, I aax'gmy'signature.

HIRAM L. BAKER. 

